{"id":1870,"date":"2018-05-08T22:20:38","date_gmt":"2018-05-08T22:20:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/crunchlearning.com\/website_ec2cbfb0\/?p=1870"},"modified":"2026-03-03T08:01:23","modified_gmt":"2026-03-03T08:01:23","slug":"negative-impacts-of-the-industrial-revolution","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/crunchlearning.com\/website_ec2cbfb0\/negative-impacts-of-the-industrial-revolution\/","title":{"rendered":"Negative Impacts of the Industrial Revolution: A Detailed Summary"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>The&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/crunchlearning.com\/website_ec2cbfb0\/category\/industrial-revolution\/\" data-type=\"category\" data-id=\"11\">Industrial Revolution<\/a>&nbsp;is one of the most significant events in human history and had a profound effect on many nations throughout the world.&nbsp; While&nbsp;the Industrial Revolution <a href=\"https:\/\/crunchlearning.com\/website_ec2cbfb0\/why-was-britain-the-first-country-to-industrialize\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"1882\">first began in Britain<\/a>&nbsp;in the 18th century, and took place throughout the centuries that followed, its impacts can still be seen in our lives today.&nbsp; As an event, the Industrial Revolution had both <a href=\"https:\/\/crunchlearning.com\/website_ec2cbfb0\/positive-impacts-of-the-industrial-revolution\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"1873\">positive<\/a> and negative impacts for society.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe title=\"Impacts of the Industrial Revolution - Video Infographic\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/qLHHH7B8foQ?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:50px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">WHAT LED TO THE NEGATIVE IMPACTS OF THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Although there are several positives to the <a href=\"https:\/\/crunchlearning.com\/website_ec2cbfb0\/industrial-revolution-overview\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"1849\">Industrial Revolution<\/a> there were also many negative elements, including:&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/crunchlearning.com\/website_ec2cbfb0\/working-conditions-in-the-industrial-revolution\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"1879\">poor working conditions<\/a>,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/crunchlearning.com\/website_ec2cbfb0\/living-conditions-in-industrial-towns\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"1863\">poor living conditions<\/a>, low wages, <a href=\"https:\/\/crunchlearning.com\/website_ec2cbfb0\/child-labor-in-the-industrial-revolution\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"1821\">child labor<\/a>, and pollution.&nbsp; One of the primary&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/crunchlearning.com\/website_ec2cbfb0\/causes-of-the-industrial-revolution\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"1818\">causes of the Industrial Revolution<\/a>&nbsp;was the emergence of&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/crunchlearning.com\/website_ec2cbfb0\/laissez-faire-capitalism\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"3952\">laissez-faire capitalism<\/a>&nbsp;as an <a href=\"https:\/\/crunchlearning.com\/website_ec2cbfb0\/economic-systems\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"3928\">economic system<\/a>.&nbsp; Laissez-faire capitalism is a highly&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/crunchlearning.com\/website_ec2cbfb0\/individualism-overview\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"3941\">individualistic ideology<\/a>&nbsp;in which the government plays as little a role as possible in the economic decisions of a country.&nbsp; Historians often refer to the ideology of the&nbsp;Industrial Revolution&nbsp;as&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/crunchlearning.com\/website_ec2cbfb0\/classical-liberalism\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"1824\">classical liberalism<\/a>&nbsp;since it included the principles of laissez-faire capitalism while also still allowing basic <a href=\"https:\/\/crunchlearning.com\/website_ec2cbfb0\/human-rights-overview\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"3015\">individual rights<\/a>.&nbsp; This political and economic climate created a situation in which wealthy factory and mine owners were able to exploit working-class people.&nbsp; As a result, this led to&nbsp;horrible working conditions&nbsp;for the people of the Industrial Revolution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/crunchlearning.com\/website_ec2cbfb0\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Industrial-Revolution-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"Industrial Revolution\" class=\"wp-image-4893\" srcset=\"https:\/\/crunchlearning.com\/website_ec2cbfb0\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Industrial-Revolution-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/crunchlearning.com\/website_ec2cbfb0\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Industrial-Revolution-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/crunchlearning.com\/website_ec2cbfb0\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Industrial-Revolution-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/crunchlearning.com\/website_ec2cbfb0\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Industrial-Revolution.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Industrial Revolution is a significant event in world history because it transformed European and North American societies from being based on agriculture production to industrial production.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:50px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">CHILD LABOR<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>One of the main negative impacts of the Industrial Revolution was the use of <a href=\"https:\/\/crunchlearning.com\/website_ec2cbfb0\/child-labor-in-the-industrial-revolution\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"1821\">child labor<\/a>. Child labor&nbsp;was a common feature of the Industrial Revolution with children as young as four working in dirty and dangerous conditions without protection from the government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Child labor was especially common in the late 18th century, during the early years of the Industrial Revolution.&nbsp; At the time, industrial cities and towns grew dramatically due to the migration of farmers and their families who were looking for work in the newly developed factories and mines.&nbsp; The&nbsp;living conditions&nbsp;in the cities and towns were miserable and characterized by: overcrowding, poor sanitation, spread of diseases, and pollution.&nbsp; As well, workers were paid low wages that barely allowed them to afford the cost of living associated with their rent and food.&nbsp; As a result, many of these working-class families needed the extra income that their children earned while working.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/crunchlearning.com\/website_ec2cbfb0\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Child-Labor-in-the-Industrial-Revolution-1024x576.png\" alt=\"Child Labor in the Industrial Revolution\" class=\"wp-image-6015\" srcset=\"https:\/\/crunchlearning.com\/website_ec2cbfb0\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Child-Labor-in-the-Industrial-Revolution-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/crunchlearning.com\/website_ec2cbfb0\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Child-Labor-in-the-Industrial-Revolution-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/crunchlearning.com\/website_ec2cbfb0\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Child-Labor-in-the-Industrial-Revolution-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/crunchlearning.com\/website_ec2cbfb0\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Child-Labor-in-the-Industrial-Revolution.png 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">&#8216;Breaker Boys, Child Coal Miners for the Pennsylvania Coal Company in 1912. (Colorized by historycrunch.com)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:50px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">WORKING CONDITIONS<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>One of the main features of the&nbsp;Industrial Revolution&nbsp;was the horrendous <a href=\"https:\/\/crunchlearning.com\/website_ec2cbfb0\/working-conditions-in-the-industrial-revolution\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"1879\">working conditions<\/a> that people faced.&nbsp; At the time, industrial cities and towns grew dramatically due to the migration of farmers and their families who were looking for work in the newly developed factories and mines.&nbsp; These factories and mines were dangerous and unforgiving places to work in.&nbsp; The working conditions that working-class people faced were known to include: long hours of work (12-16 hour shifts), low wages that barely covered the cost of living, dangerous and dirty conditions and workplaces with little or no worker rights.&nbsp; To better understand the situation, its first important to understand the political ideology of the time, which historians refer to as classical liberalism.&nbsp; Classical liberalism is an ideology characterized by&nbsp;laissez-faire capitalism, which means that the government played as little a role in the economy as possible.&nbsp; As a result, there were little to no rules in place for workers in the Industrial Revolution, and the wealthy owners could act in any manner that they wanted.&nbsp; For example, the factories and mines were incredibly dangerous places with very few safeguards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/crunchlearning.com\/website_ec2cbfb0\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Working-Conditions-in-the-Industrial-Revolution-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"Working Conditions in the Industrial Revolution\" class=\"wp-image-5957\" srcset=\"https:\/\/crunchlearning.com\/website_ec2cbfb0\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Working-Conditions-in-the-Industrial-Revolution-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/crunchlearning.com\/website_ec2cbfb0\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Working-Conditions-in-the-Industrial-Revolution-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/crunchlearning.com\/website_ec2cbfb0\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Working-Conditions-in-the-Industrial-Revolution-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/crunchlearning.com\/website_ec2cbfb0\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Working-Conditions-in-the-Industrial-Revolution.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Industrial factory workers in the Industrial Revolution. (Colorized by historycrunch.com)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:50px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">LIVING CONDITIONS<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>A common feature of <a href=\"https:\/\/crunchlearning.com\/website_ec2cbfb0\/living-conditions-in-industrial-towns\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"1863\">industrial cities and towns<\/a> was the construction of inexpensive and poorly built row housing, intended for working-class people.&nbsp; Wealthy factory owners and entrepreneurs constructed the homes for their workers but also used the homes as a means of making more profit.&nbsp; The homes were often referred to as back-to-back terraces because they were literally built side-by-side and connected to one another.&nbsp; The only part of the home that was not connected to another was the front.&nbsp; The homes were made with the cheapest materials available and lacked basic features such as windows and proper ventilation.&nbsp; As well, most of the homes were built without running water or sanitation.&nbsp; As a result, many people were unable to properly bathe and thus suffered from very poor hygiene.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/crunchlearning.com\/website_ec2cbfb0\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Living-Conditions-in-Industrial-Towns-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"Living Conditions in Industrial Towns\" class=\"wp-image-5952\" srcset=\"https:\/\/crunchlearning.com\/website_ec2cbfb0\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Living-Conditions-in-Industrial-Towns-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/crunchlearning.com\/website_ec2cbfb0\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Living-Conditions-in-Industrial-Towns-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/crunchlearning.com\/website_ec2cbfb0\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Living-Conditions-in-Industrial-Towns-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/crunchlearning.com\/website_ec2cbfb0\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Living-Conditions-in-Industrial-Towns.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">&#8216;Over London &#8211; by Rail&#8217; by Gustave Dor\u00e9. (1872)  Shows the living conditions in industrial towns during the Industrial Revolution.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:50px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">PAY \/ WAGES<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>In general, industrial workers were paid very small amounts and struggled to survive.&nbsp; For example, adult men were paid around 10 shillings per week, while women were paid 5 shillings for the same work, and children were paid just 1 shilling.&nbsp; In comparison, families were usually charged 5 shillings per month for rent.&nbsp; This did not usually leave much left over for food,&nbsp;clothes&nbsp;and luxury items.&nbsp; As a result, they often struggled to cover their cost of living and had to also endure difficult living conditions.&nbsp; As well, workers often had their pay deducted for being late or for taking a break during their shift.&nbsp; The level of pay was so poor that many working-class families needed their children to work as well, in order to help cover the costs of the family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/crunchlearning.com\/website_ec2cbfb0\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Women-in-the-Industrial-Revolution-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"Women in the Industrial Revolution\" class=\"wp-image-5976\" srcset=\"https:\/\/crunchlearning.com\/website_ec2cbfb0\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Women-in-the-Industrial-Revolution-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/crunchlearning.com\/website_ec2cbfb0\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Women-in-the-Industrial-Revolution-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/crunchlearning.com\/website_ec2cbfb0\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Women-in-the-Industrial-Revolution-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/crunchlearning.com\/website_ec2cbfb0\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Women-in-the-Industrial-Revolution.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Women and a girl working in a textile mill in the Industrial Revolution. Photograph by Lewis Hine in Georgia in 1909. (Colorized by historycrunch.com)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:50px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">POLLUTION<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Pollution was one of the most recognizable aspects of industrial cities and towns.&nbsp; Not only were the streets and waterways heavily polluted with human waste and garbage, but the air was also heavily polluted.&nbsp; Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, wealthy businessmen established countless factories and mines throughout Britain.&nbsp; These factories produced large amounts of air pollution from the burning of coal.&nbsp; Coal was easily the most used fuel during the Industrial Revolution, since it was needed to power the newly developed <a href=\"https:\/\/crunchlearning.com\/website_ec2cbfb0\/invention-of-the-steam-engine\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"1968\">steam engines<\/a>.&nbsp; However, coal is also known as a heavy air pollutant since when it is burned it sends small particles into the air.&nbsp; As a result, the numerous factories in the city centers caused the air quality to be horrible and gave industrial cities and towns a characteristic \u2018smog\u2019 that seemed to hover over them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/crunchlearning.com\/website_ec2cbfb0\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Factory-System-in-the-Industrial-Revolution-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"Factory System in the Industrial Revolution\" class=\"wp-image-5925\" srcset=\"https:\/\/crunchlearning.com\/website_ec2cbfb0\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Factory-System-in-the-Industrial-Revolution-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/crunchlearning.com\/website_ec2cbfb0\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Factory-System-in-the-Industrial-Revolution-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/crunchlearning.com\/website_ec2cbfb0\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Factory-System-in-the-Industrial-Revolution-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/crunchlearning.com\/website_ec2cbfb0\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Factory-System-in-the-Industrial-Revolution.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Imperial Gas Company\u2019s gasworks on the Regent Canal in London, England. (1828) <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>There were several negative impacts of the Industrial Revolution, including a lack of workers rights, child labor, poor housing, dangerous working conditions, and pollution.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5945,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"iawp_total_views":116,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[15,17],"class_list":["post-1870","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-industrial-revolution","tag-history","tag-industrial-revolution"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/crunchlearning.com\/website_ec2cbfb0\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1870","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/crunchlearning.com\/website_ec2cbfb0\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/crunchlearning.com\/website_ec2cbfb0\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crunchlearning.com\/website_ec2cbfb0\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crunchlearning.com\/website_ec2cbfb0\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1870"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/crunchlearning.com\/website_ec2cbfb0\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1870\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6073,"href":"https:\/\/crunchlearning.com\/website_ec2cbfb0\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1870\/revisions\/6073"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crunchlearning.com\/website_ec2cbfb0\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5945"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/crunchlearning.com\/website_ec2cbfb0\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1870"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crunchlearning.com\/website_ec2cbfb0\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1870"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crunchlearning.com\/website_ec2cbfb0\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1870"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}